Andy Reflection

 Reflecting on the group presentations of 2/8/23

Our speech class on 2/8/23 began with Cindy Lopez briefly and effectively introducing group 3’s portion covering topics such as proper use of language during presentation, different formats one can use while presenting to best convey points, managing your body language and voice, and the importance of a beginning and end. Though not all, these were some of the topics covered during group 3’s presentation. Liz Valdes then kicks off the presentations for her group, teaching us how to properly format (and deliver) the introduction and conclusion of our speech) She also stated a point that greatly seemed to align with my personal past experiences 

    “The audience is more likely to remember what you talk about in the beginning and the ending of the speech”. 

This quote felt validating for me, as even when consuming other forms of media such as movies or albums, the scenes and moments that tend to leave a lasting effect on me are the ones at the start and end. She then takes a moment to incorporate a short video into her presentation covering speech anxiety, something I’m sure many of us in this class deal with. I certainly was feeling the familiar nerves as I sat in the comfort of my room waiting for my turn to present through this Zoom class. As such, I greatly appreciated a video specifically dealing with the topic, especially in the light-hearted animated format in which it presented itself. The message was there nonetheless, glossophobia is extremely common, and there certainly is hope and there are ways in which we can best mitigate it.

                                              Video that Liz Valdes played for the class

Her group continues to present covering a broad range of topics including effective language use, in which Jimmy Pierre Louis shed some light on the difference in connotation different words may experience particularly in different cultures. Jimmy also covered Powerful languages vs powerless language, a concept I was not familiar with but upon self-reflection, I realized I may have subconsciously utilized it. I certainly have judged a speaker (albeit subconsciously) when powerless words were overly used and perhaps have begun feeling a lack of trust or credibility for the speaker. 

In what was one of my favorite presentations, Michael Molina covers the large differences between spoken work and written work. In one section he emphasizes the lack of a “backspace” function when one is giving a speech… something my anxiety-plagued self does not appreciate to think about. However, with this added risk of delivering a public speech (versus releasing a written work) comes a great ability to generate impact. Your words simply carry a greater heft when they are being read out loud as opposed to written down. You can use your words to convey tones simply not possible through written means such as sarcasm. Speeches are also inherently semi-conversational, prompting the inclusion of the audience (and as such their attention). Throughout his presentation, Michael appeared very confident and demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the topics he covered.

Kevin Castro then covers the importance of technology and its effectiveness in aiding in presentations. Katerin Barrieri discusses the more logistical side of things when it comes to speeches. Such as including your audience in your speech (instead of making it a lecture) managing your time, being considerate of those who may have disabilities, etc.

Cindy then Introduced our group, group 1… doing a great job of touching on all the topics we will discuss. Amya Mcdonald discussed the evolution of public speaking throughout the many years in which it existed. An interesting fact that came out of her presentation, in particular, one I was not aware of was that during the classical era and middle ages, speeches were only delivered by well-educated men. She also touches on speaker credibility and the importance of using reliable sources to ensure you remain credible to the audience. Abigail Ruiz then continues covering the second portion of Chapter 1 emphasizing the vast purposes and uses for speeches along with potentially less obvious ones such as the professional skill-building aspect. Your ability to deliver a speech does not only directly affect your speaking confidence, but also your overall communication skills beyond those that deal with delivering a speech. This aspect is one of the reasons I'm particularly interested in improving my lackluster public speaking skills. 

I then begin speaking about Chapter 2 which deals with building your confidence. Chapter 2 was the one I specifically chose to study as I felt it would be the most beneficial to me. I quickly covered the most popular causes of speech anxiety along with potential ways to deal with them. The book broke down how we can deal with anxiety, in two separate time frames, healthy practices for preparing for the speech and coping methods during the speech. Funny enough, toward the end of my presentations when presenting how to remain confident mid-presentation, I began to do the exact opposite as the words that I was speaking. I began overanalyzing my anxiety mid-speech, only worsening the cause. When I covered my final point, regarding not apologizing for speaking, I immediately stumbled and did the same thing I was not supposed to do… apologize.

 Daniel Gonzalez then presented Chapter 3 which dived into how to be a good listener and aspects that may be detrimental to your audience's attention span, such as loud noises or commotion whilst you are presenting. Once Daniel had set a clear example of what bad listening looks like, he then defined effective listening and what that may potentially look like. Biante Cole then presents Chapter 5 which deals with how to adapt to your audience. She covers a few different fields such as adjusting delivery, tone, and body language, and overall emphasizes the speaker's need to be capable of adjusting their presentation on the fly. While this portion seemed a bit obvious to me, her next section, regarding establishing yourself as a credible source to your audience, was not something that had ever previously even occurred to me. Crystal Castillo then closes out our section with the last half of chapter 5, she discusses questionnaires and defines close-ended questions vs open-ended questions.

While I am not going to cover every presentation in this blog, I would like to thank each group for providing us with valuable insights into mastering public speaking. From language use to managing anxiety, we gained a diverse array of strategies. I hope we all carry these lessons forward, transforming our speeches into impactful moments.